I Walked AND Biked the Perimeter of Singapore (S'PORE TOUR)
One of the most insane things I did this semester was complete not one, but two crazy challenges. I walked around Singapore in three days and biked around Singapore in one night. Here's the story.
The Singapore Walk
Before I even stepped foot in Singapore, one of the guys in my cohort challenged me to complete a three-day walk around Singapore. One of his friends had studied abroad there previously, created the challenge, and even made a YouTube video about it. Ever since then, my friend and I had been talking about doing it ourselves.
Actually finding the time was the hard part. ESSEC had a really strict attendance policy, so we needed three consecutive days without classes, presentations, or assignments because we knew we'd be walking literally all day and wouldn't have time or energy to study. By the time May rolled around, it was finally the perfect opportunity.
Unfortunately, no one else was available anymore, so I decided to start the challenge by myself. I packed my CamelBak with water and snacks, put on my Brooks, my Lululemon fanny pack with a portable charger, and started walking. I also decided to vlog the entire experience both vertically for Instagram and horizontally for YouTube because...why not?
The route started and ended at ESSEC with checkpoints all around the island!
Day One
ESSEC → Berlayer Beacon → Marina Barrage → East Coast Park → Pasir Ris Park
Honestly, day one felt like a breeze. The only difficult part was the Singapore heat. Being out in the sun for hours was absolutely brutal. But honestly, I don't know about y'all, if I'm wearing athletic clothes expecting to sweat, it doesn't really bother me. It's only miserable when you're sweating in clothes you never intended to sweat in.
Other than the heat, I felt great. No pain. I was completely alone most of the day, listening to podcasts, praying, thinking about life, and just enjoying the challenge.
Day Two
Pasir Ris Park → Punggol Islands → Black & White Houses → Woodlands Jetty → Chinese Garden MRT
One of my friends surprised me and joined me for part of the day. He walked with me all the way from Punggol to Woodlands Jetty, which made the miles fly by because we had someone to talk to the entire time.
After he left, though, I still had about four hours of walking ahead of me. That last stretch was tough. I was walking through an area of Singapore I'd never been to before, the sun was starting to set, and I was getting exhausted. Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world, so I normally never think twice about walking alone, but by that point I was just tired and ready to be done.
I also realized I had been speed walking the entire time I was walking alone. I think I beat Google Maps' estimated walking time by almost 30 minutes. During the last hour and a half, my feet started hurting in a completely different way. At first it was just soreness, but during the last 30 minutes I felt something happen across the tops of both of my feet. My ankles suddenly felt weak, and it almost felt like I couldn't rotate my feet normally without something hurting. I finished the day, but I knew something wasn't quite right.
Day Three...Attempt One
That night I slept incredibly well. The next morning...not so much. The entire left side of my body hurt. My left calf, knee, and foot were all in pain. I still got ready and went to Chinese Garden MRT because I was determined to finish.
About 30 minutes into walking, I realized I was being stubborn. I knew if I kept pushing through, I could end up with a stress fracture that might take weeks to heal. So I sat down, called my mom, and decided it just wasn't worth it. I went home and spent the next several days resting.
For the rest of May, I stayed out of long walks, slowly got back into the gym, and then ended up getting sick toward the end of the month anyway. My feet still hurt whenever I walked long distances or wore flip-flops, but I convinced myself it would eventually heal. After already visiting hospitals and clinics multiple times that semester, I really didn't want another doctor's appointment. So...I ignored it.
A month later, on the very last possible day I could complete the challenge before leaving Singapore, I finally finished the last section.
Day Three...For Real
Chinese Garden MRT → Raffles Marina → ESSEC
This time I wasn't alone. The friend who originally wanted to do the challenge with me joined me for the first half of the walk, and another friend (the one who joined on day two) joined me after lunch so I had someone with me the entire day. Having that moral support made such a difference.
Crossing back into ESSEC felt incredible. After weeks of wondering whether I'd actually finish, I had officially walked around Singapore. In total, I walked 90.18 miles over 27 hours and 46 minutes. It was one of the hardest physical challenges I've ever completed.
Looking back, though, the best part wasn't even the challenge itself. Walking around the island gave me hours to think, pray, journal in my head, listen to podcasts, and simply observe Singapore. I saw neighborhoods I never would have visited otherwise. Even along the edges of the country, everything was so clean and well maintained. I noticed construction projects, quiet neighborhoods, parks, and so many little details I would've completely missed had I just taken the MRT everywhere.
Technically, I didn't walk every inch of the coastline because part of western Singapore is military land and inaccessible and I didn’t want to take the risk while going alone. I also chose the quicker route back to ESSEC instead of following the coast exactly on the last day. Even so, 90 miles is still pretty crazy.
Fast Forward Two Months...
Now for the unfortunate ending to the story. As I'm writing this on July 30th, I'm wearing two walking boots for the next six weeks after an MRI showed small bone contusions, grade one spring ligament sprains, and mild plantar fasciitis.
These injuries weren't entirely caused by the Singapore walk because I also had a wakeboarding accident back home over the summer. The left foot strap on my wakeboard broke before I started, but I decided to ride anyway, which was definitely not my smartest decision.
After two attempts, I finally got up on the board, rode for about 15 seconds, hit a big wave, and because my left foot wasn't secured properly, the board twisted underneath me. I fell hard, and my feet flew out of the bindings. At first I only noticed how much my eye and body hurt from hitting the water.
About 15 minutes later, I stood up on the boat and immediately felt the exact same weakness across the tops of my feet that I had experienced back in Singapore. I knew something wasn't right.
My friends were so sweet. They immediately helped ice my feet, bought wraps and a bucket so I could alternate hot and cold water, and took care of me the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I had to miss a trip to Atlanta the next morning to watch the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal because I could barely walk.
That started a long chain of doctor's appointments, orthopedic visits, MRIs, and physical therapy before leaving for Brazil. Looking back, I honestly think the Singapore walk was probably where these injuries first started.
Now...the Bike Ride
As if walking around Singapore wasn't enough...A few friends in my cohort decided it would be fun to bike around the entire island overnight. Honestly, what other country could you safely decide to do something like that?
They invited me to join them, and on May 6th we started riding around 8:00 p.m. near Marina Bay Sands. We rode all night long and made it back just in time to watch the sunrise over Marina Bay Sands. It was perfect.
We biked 77 miles in 7 hours and 42 minutes. Surprisingly, my feet weren't even my biggest problem. Our butts. I cannot even begin to describe how much they hurt. Every time we stopped and then had to get back on the bike was absolutely brutal. Eventually everything just went numb.
But riding through Singapore in the middle of the night was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Flying down empty roads through one of the safest countries in the world felt incredibly freeing.
I absolutely loved both of these challenges. They pushed me far beyond what I thought I was capable of. And if there's one thing I learned, it's that endurance challenges are just as mental as they are physical.
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